Let the experiment begin!
Hello everyone!
I've been following a high intensity regimen for a few months, and seen some great improvements. 30 lbs weight gain, enormous strength gains, and it's hard to ignore the way women have been responding to me recently...
I've had a few conversations with HVT promoters, crossfit promoters, etc etc and I've grown tired of them all saying HIT doesn't work, at least not in the capacity we all say it does. Just the other day I talked with a high school friend who lifts 6 days per week, 1.5-2 hours per day. He was shocked when he heard my schedule; especially shocked when he saw the weights I was using. So I've got an idea for an experiment. The experiment is simple. I'll follow a high intensity regimen for one month, taking complete measures of my body on day one and day thirty-one, along with my best lifts on their respective days. I'll actually be trying to lose weight for the duration of this month, unless my strength decreases or stagnates, or some mitigating factor like I become sick.
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My statistics are as follows:
Height: 6'3.5"
Weight: 224 lbs
Chest: 46.25"
Biceps: 15.75"
Upper arm: 12"
Waist: 35"
Hips: 37"
Thighs: 26"
Calves: 15.25"
All measurements were taken cold.
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The following are my best workouts (which incidentally were my last 2 workouts). All lifts follow a 4-2-4 cadence.
Best arm lifts:
Lateral delt raise machine: 175X9 plus 2 negatives
Lat Pullovers: 260X8 plus 2 negatives
Supersetted palms-up pulldowns: 205X2 plus 2 negatives
Butterfly: 260X5 plus negative
Supersetted Incline Press: 190X1 plus negative
Supersetted Decline Press: 185X2 plus negative
Tricep Pressdown: 215X8
Supersetted Dips with 25 lbs attached: 2 plus 2 negatives
Upper Body Workouts:
Day one:
Lateral delt raise
Bent over laterals
Pulldowns
Tricep Pressdown
Dips
Day five:
Butterfly
Incline
Decline
Pullovers
Pulldowns
My best leg workouts:
Squats: 315X4
Calf Raise: 140X9 plus 2 static/eccentric reps
My leg workouts were performed on days 3 and 7; then arm workouts started again on day 9.
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I'll be consuming roughly 2500 calories/day. And without getting too insane, I'll be consuming roughly 20% fat, 25-30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, making sure to cut out refined sugars, and getting 100-150% fiber recommended by the FDA.
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My goals for this month are:
10 pounds fat loss
.25" increases on all measures, except for waist and hips measurements
1" decreases in waist and hips measurements
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My purpose in starting this experiment is three-fold.
1: I will (obviously) increase my size and strength greatly
2: I hope to interact regularly with this board, thereby increasing both my mental acuity and cognitive abilities in addition to my physical prowess. Knowledge is power. Let's be powerful!
3: I will have infallible evidence of my success, and the HIT community will have one more case study to refer to.
If anyone could give me further tips on how to speed up my muscle growth (in terms of frequency or which particular exercises to use) I'd greatly appreciate it!
We can start with the fact that my dips stagnated from their previous best after I introduced decline presses as another supersetted exercise after incline presses, though I gave it 4 days' rest. Is this increase entirely unnecessary, or is it great, and I just need more recovery time?
I'm not solid on post workout recovery--I've been taking 25 g protein with 25 g sugar to spike insulin and drive protein into my muscles--along with a potato shortly thereafter to avoid that sugar crash. Could this be improved?
Let's prove just how fast HIT can change a body and mind when applied correctly. I've been lifting for 6 years, and only now am discovering how right HIT is. It's about time everyone discovered what I have!
Thanks everyone! I'll be updating my stats every 7 days, so watch out for next sunday!
Hey I didn't have time to post yesterday, so I figured I owe you guys an update.
My new weight is 220-221--down 3-4 pounds from last sunday.
My new hips measurement is 35.5--down 1.5 inches! and my waist is down 1/4 inch.
Ive only had one workout since my last post, and my reps were up one full rep on every exercise! Gettin there...and fast!
Stay tuned for more updates! One per week throughout the month of december, culminating on the 27th, where I will be 210-215, with strength increases, size increases of 1/4 inch everywhere that matters, and decreases of 1 full inch on hips and waist.
See you next time!
Ah, I apologize for the much-belated resolution to this post.
Unfortunately, per Bill's recommendation regarding my frequency and lifting routine, I can not post my increases in strength to the 18th. (I only lifted twice!). However, in this time period, with my dietary restriction and modification, I was able to drop down the full ten pounds to 215 pounds, and my arms and calves have both grown, while my pants are fitting looser and more comfortable. I haven't the time to go back through and make full and complete measures...sometimes the mirror is the best measuring device, and let me tell you I am thrilled with the progress I'm making.
There's something to this goal setting / visualization thing. Once I released my emotional involvement in the frequency of my training, and instead focused on giving my body everything it needed to succeed, while visualizing my perfect body every night, and trusting that my body would make the appropriate course corrections to give me exactly what I desired, I began to see cosmic changes.
If anyone out there in the world wide web reads this and gains inspiration, or gains a greater understanding of their own training / dietary / life successes or failures, I will consider it the greatest blessing I have ever received. I really can't put into words the new paradigm shift which has led to my new explosive growth, both inside of me and out. It truly feels as though the world has opened its arms to me, and is just dying to give me exactly what I desire, and more. All that is required is a modicum of faith and persistence...both of which are gaining strength and momentum daily inside of me.
Thanks Bill! I'm looking forward to learning and growing more on these forums!
Best Regards
Michael
Michael... you are a pleasure certainly thirsty for knowledge with which you apply very well...
Have a great New Year...
Blessings to you and yours,
Bill
Hey all!
Just an update...On the 7th of december, I posted the following legs workout:
Leg Press: 450X12
SS Leg Extension 170X4
SS Squat 185X6
and the next leg workout I did was today, where I posted this:
Leg press 540X12
SS Leg Extension 170X4
SS Squat 185X12
This business works :)
I'm curious though, Bill: would I do better to lower drastically my leg extension weight and up the reps into the 8-12 range? Or is it the case that supersetting in this fashion makes it a moot point?
Thanks!
Michael
Michael,
Awesome Job! You killed it! With that kind of increase on the leg press I would look at maintaining on the extension as progress, then you doubled the squat reps awesome. Intense infrequent training works big time and you are proving it. It is a shame so few are willing to try it
. Keep up the great work. You are growing.
God Bless
David
Great stuff. That is excellent progress. That level won't happen every time, especially as you get stronger and are constantly pushing at the boundaries of your strength. However, if you properly manage volume, frequency, workout structure etc, progress will still be forthcoming in the long term.
David is right, HIT works. Keep up the good work! Glynn.
Hi Michael!
Great job my friend...
I would stick with the weight on the leg extension... just go to failure... you are doing plenty of reps
You are certainly getting stronger workout to workout and it is all based on your genetics... I have had clients who have continued to get stronger leaps and bounds while growing relative to their strength gains...
Had a couple do 10 pounds a month rock hard and they were not novices... these were athletes who had almost 2 decades under their belts! But... they were not doing it right... but soon found out that they had great genetics as long as they cooperated with them... total gains were 40 pounds+ in about 4 months...
So what I am saying is this... you dont know until you know, by doing and managing it properly, how big and strong you can become... literally I believe there are those in the gym walking around that could have been National and Professional competitors that stopped shy of their genetic potential because they did not know any better and are no longer participating, you see it all the time.
Keep up the great work and go at it with blinders! Set your goals and HIT it till you do!
Best regards,
Bill
